Bracket for funeral drapes



Jan. 17, 1933. v J, SCHOMER 1,894,793

BRACKET FOR FUNERAL DRAPES Filed June 5. 1931 Patented Jan. 17, 1933 UNITED STATES gPATENT oT-'Flcav y HENRY J, scHoMER, or osrriosn, wisconsin, AssiGNou To Werra CARPET conrANY, l i Y OF OS'HKOSH WISCQNSN, A CORXORATION 0F WlSCONSIN 'BRACKET FOR FUNERAL DRAPES Application led .Tune 3, 1931." Serial No.' 541,782.

The present invention relates to brackets QI funeraldrapes. n

In the conduct of Jfuneral ceremonies, it is customary to support the casket upon a truck, M which elevates the casket a considerable distance above the floor and aiords means for transporting the casketl to the door or other point where it is lifted from the truck by the .pall bearers. A Y v In order to provide asuitable setting for the ceremony, it is desirablek to conceal the truck by the employment of a suitable drape which depends to the floor from the line adjacent to the base of the elevated casket, but

15 after the ceremony it is necessary to quickly and noiselessly remove the drape or curtain Vin order to permit the casket to be Wheeled out upon the truck.

t The present invention is directed to a n bracket for properly supporting the drape or curtain under the conditions mentioned and which will enable the truck to be quickly dismantled without occasioning disturbance or noise, and without rendering it diiiicult to 1,25 quickly and readily dispose of the drape and bracket under circumstances in which it is highly desirable to avoid any noise, confusion orunseemly disturbance.

lOther objects` and details will appear .from

vj a description of the invention, in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, where1n,-

Figure 1 illustrates a casket draped in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a' similar view, showing the drape removed to-eXpose the truck; i

Fig. 8 .is a top view of the truck, showing the bracket of the present inventionin position to support the drape or curtain;

Fig. 4i is anenlarged detail in plan of one of the bracket heads; f

Fig. 5 is a side elevation .of one fof the bracket heads in position on the corner post of the truck;

Fig. 6 is a modificationin theform ofthe bracket head; and f Y Fig. 7 is a side elevation vof the modified ,orinof bracket head illustrated in Fig. 6,

The casket 1 0 is supported upon .a truck 1,1 provided with casteredtruck wheels 12 which are swivelled to the lower ends of the corner posts 13. As shown, the corner posts'r are connectedv by lazy tongs 14 4to permit of variations in the overall dimensions or' thetrucl, but thetruck shown serves simpl for` ur poses of illustration, since the braclicts o the present invention can be employed .in connection with trucks of varying structure. Y

Each of the posts has secured to itsuPPr end a bracket head l5, which as shown is in the form of a drum shaped block, through the center of which is threaded a screw 16 which serves to hold the block in position upon the uuper end ci the post, although the bracket heads might be otherwise connected or employed in conjunction with trucks which do not employ corner posts of the character shown.l

The four bracket heads serve to ySupport the casket and provide theV means of attachment for the bracket rods which support the drape or curtain. Each of the bracket heads, in the construction shown, is provided with an outwardly extending bracket arm 17, which is hooked at its outer end 18 to receive f5 and support a longitudinally extending curtain rod 19, over which the upper end Of the curtain is looped or otherwise draped to conceal the opposite sides of the truck.

In some circumstances, and particularlwhere the casket is located adjacent to a Wall, platform, .or other structure, it may not be necessary to drape the re-ar side of the truck, in which case the vrearbracket arins may be omitted and the draping confined to the front and ends of the truck.

In order to support the drapery which conceals the ends of the truck, each of the bracket heads is provided with an eccentrically errtending bore 2O through which is slidably entered an extension rod 21 which is hooked at its outer end 22 to receive one of the ends of an end curtain rod, over whichthe end portions of the curtain are looped, or otherwise draped and supported.

In view of the fact that caskets vary in length, it is desirable to so -t the extension rods into the bores in the bracket heads that Athe rods may be adjusted to the' degree re- 100 Yco guired to bring the end curtain rods immeiately beneath the ends of the casket.

Inasmuch as the end extensions are required to support the weight of the drape or curtain at a considerable distance from the oint of attachment to the bracket heads,it is esirable to give to the bores which receive the extension rods a slight Obliquity, so that the free ends of the extension rods will normall pr"'ect upwardly to a slight degree, whic 'willJ cause said rods to bear against the under surface of the base of the casket, when lowered to place, and this arrangement will compensate for any downward flexation which might be occasioned by the weight of the draperies. :M Shown, the forwardly extending hooked ket arms are in each case secured to the screw which serves to attach the bracket head to the post ofthe truck, but in cases where it may be desirable to provide for variations in the width of caskets, as well as for variations in the length thereof, it may be considered referable to employ forwardly extending racket rods 23 entered through bores 24, as illustrated in Fig. 6, which, however, in each instance, need not be obliquely disd, since the forward arms will of necessity be short, so that no appreciable flexation can occur.

' In use, where the casket is placed in a position which is accessible from all sides, 1t will be desirable to employ both front and rearlcurtain rods as well as the end rods, and in such a case the curtain will be draped entirely around the casket and depend from a line substantially coincident with the marginal base line of the casket. Ordinarily, the curtain can be draped by merely looping its upper edge over the front, rear, and end curtain rods, to the degree required to properly 'lp-e the curtain with respect to the floor cases where the front and ends only of thel'casket are exposed to view, the rear currod and rear draping can be omitted. Afterthe conclusion of the ceremony, the attendant can very quickly remove the curtain by merely lifting it from the supporting rods, and both the curtain rods and the extension rods can be uickly, easily and noiselessly removed and disposed of within a small Ycomp so that the truck can be properly disman ed in preparation for the transport of the casket to the desired point. a., lnemecase, it may not be necessary or '.deiil'qbleto remove the extension rods, or to myc the curtain rods themselves, but the of these features will not in any way "interfere with the manipulation of the rtruck, although the removal of the curtain v may be desirable to guard against displacement during the manipulation of the truck.

Although for most purposes it will not be i' .llmarks necessary to positively connect the curtain rods to the extension or bracket rods, since the weight of the curtain will hold them in place, additional means of securement may e employed if desired.

The invention is one which affords a sufficiently firm and rigid support for the draperies to permit the use of rich and heavy materials, which are particularly suitable for the purpose without danger of displacement, and with a minimum of time and eifort in properly draping the casket, and at the same time the method of mountin the brackets insures that ythe entire space om the floor to the base of the casket will be adequately draped to afford a suitable mounting for the casket itself, and in harmony with its coloration and configuration.

Furthermore, the arrangement is one which permits the draping to be dismantled with a minimum of time, effort and confusion, after the ceremony has been concluded.

Although the invention has been described in detail, it is not the intention to limit the same strictly to the features shown and dcscribed, since variations may be introduced without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim :A

1. In devices of the class described, the combination with a truck adapted to support a casket, of a group of four bracket heads secured to the respective corners of the truck and adapted to have the base of the casket rested thereon, a pair of bracket arms extending forwardly from the two forward bracket heads, a front curtain rod carried by said bracket heads, extension rods slidably mounted respectively within the two 'forward bracket heads and the two rear bracket heads and extending outwardly from the ends of the truck, end curtain rods carried by the extension rods, and draperies depending from the front and end curtain rods in position to conceal the kfront and the ends of the truck.

2. In devices of the class described, the combination with a truck adapted to support a casket, of agroup of four bracket headsf secured to the respective corners of the truck and adapted to have the base ofthe casket rested thereon, a pair of bracket arms extending forwardly from the two forward bracket heads, a front curtain rod carried by saidn bracket heads, extension rods'slidably mounted respectively within the two forward bracket heads and the two rear bracket heads andv extending outwardly from the ends of the truck, end curtain rods carried by the exten-y sion rods, and draperies depending from the front and end curtain rods in position to conceal the front and theends of the' truck, the end extension rods being slidably enteredl through bores in the respective bracket heads to permit adjustment to accommodate caskets of varying lengths.

3. In devices of the class described, the combination with a truck adapted to support a casket, of a group of four bracket heads secured to the respective corners of the truck and adapted to have the base of the casket rested thereon, a pair of bracket arms extending forwardly from the two forward bracket heads, a front curtain rod carried by said bracket heads, extension rods slidably mounted respectively within the two forward bracket heads and the two rear bracket heads and extending outwardly from the ends of the truck, end curtain rods carried by the extension rods, and draperies depending from the front and end curtain rods in position to conceal the front and the ends of the truck, the end extension rods being slidably entered through bores in the respective bracket heads to permit adjustment to accommodate caskets of varying lengths, and normally extending upward to a slight degree to compensate for downwar l flexation occasioned by the weight of the draperies.

4. In devices of the class described, the combination with a truck adapted to support a casket, of a group of four bracket heads secured to the respective corners of the truck and adapted to have the base of the casket rested thereon, a pair -of bracket arms extending forwardly from the two forward bracket heads, a front curtain rod carried by said bracket heads, extension rods slidably mounted respectively within the two Vforward bracket heads and the two rear bracket heads and extending outwardly from the ends of the truck, end curtain rods carried by the extension rods, and draperies depending from the front and end curtain rods in position to conceal the front and the ends of the truck, the end extension rods being slidably entered through bores in the respective bracket heads to permit adjustment to accommodate caskets of varying lengths, the front and end curtain rods extending in close parallel relation to the front and end edges of the base of the casket.

5. In devices of the class described, the combination with a truck adapted to support a casket, of a group of four bracket heads secured to the respective corners of the truck and adapted to have the base of the casket rested thereon, a pair of bracket arms extending forwardly from the two forward bracket heads, a front curtain rod carried by said bracket heads, extension rods slidably mounted respectively withinV the two forward bracket heads and the two rear bracket heads and extending outwardly from the ends of the truck, end curtain rods carried by the extension rods, and draperies depending from the ,front and end curtain rods in position to conceal the front and the ends of the truck, the end extension rods 4in the being respective bracket ment to accommodate caskets' of varying lengths, and normally extending upward to v a slight degree to compensate for downward flexation occasioned-by the weight yof the draperies, the front and end curtain rods being positionedv to extend in close parallel relation to the front and end edges of the base of the casket.

,6. In devices of the class described, the combination with a truck adapted to support a casket mounted thereon and extending beyond the ing therefrom and adjustable to vary the extent of projection from the truck, a curtain rod carried by the bracket members in proximity to the position the edge of the curtain depending from said curtain rod to conceal the truck.

7. In devices of the class described, the combination with a truck adapted to support a casket, of bracket members extending from the side and ends of the truck and curtain rods carried by said bracket members and extending in parallel relation with and in close proximity to the position to be occupied by one side and a drapery depending from said curtain rods to conceal the front side and ends of the truck.

8. In devices of the class described, the combination with a truck adapted to support a casket; of bracket members extending from the side and ends of the truck and curtain rods carried by said bracket members and ends of the truck; of bracket members secured to the truck and outstandto be occupied by base of the casket, and a` and the ends of the casket f Asie 'fico extending in parallel relation with and in o close proximity to pied by one side and the ends of the casket, and a drapery depending from said curtain rods to conceal the front side and the ends of the truck, the end bracket members being adjustable with the same to caskets of varying dimensions.

9. In devices of the class described, the combination with a truck adapted to support a casket of larger dimensions in plan than the truck; of a plurality of bracket heads"V carried by the truck and adapted to have the base of the casket rested thereon, and bracket members outstanding from said bracket heads toward the positions to be occupied by of the base of the casket, and draperies supported by saidy bracket members.

10. In devices of the class described, the combination with a truck adapted to support a casket of larger dimensions in plan than the truck; of a plurality of bracket heads carried by the truck and adapted to have the base of the casket rested thereon and bracket members outstanding from said bracket the positions to be occu-fl respect to the truck to adaptT the front edge and the end edges?.

heads toward the positions to be occupied bfi-130 the front edge and the end edges of the base of the casket; curtain rods carried by said bracket members in parallel relation to the positions to be occupied by the proximate 5 edges of the casket, and draperies supported by said curtain rods to conceal the front side and ends of the. truck. e

HENRY J. SCHOMER. 

